Green Breath Box
Insights into Biogeochemical Cycles, Environment, and Sustainability
We propose a multisession interactive workshop and experimentation kit, called “Green Breath Box”, aimed at education for environment and sustainable development in the classes of 10th and 11th years. The workshop includes four sessions: (i) “setting the stage”: link to global environment and sustainable development; (ii) experimental exploration: discovering elemental cycles and inter-connections; (iii) experimental exploration: impact of chemicals on elemental cycles and (iv) a reflexion about the use of water by human and the consequences on the aquatic ecosystems.
The core of the workshop is the experimentation with the Green Breath Box kit allowing to recreate a simplified aquatic environment and to observe what happens when photosynthetic organisms are affected by human activities, such as release of pollutants. As example of possible pollutants, we will use every-day-use products from the supermarket, such as mouthwash, soap, detergent for toilets, etc. The effect of “ordinary” and “eco-friendly” products of the same type will be compared.
The workshops will consist of four sessions (45-90-90-45 min), characterized by distinct theoretical, practical and reflective learning objectives in classes of biology and geography. The proposed workshop will be implemented to 12 school classes of 10/11th year of middle school education as main target group.
With these hands-on activities, students will familiarize with several core concepts in environmental science, such as biogeochemical cycles, pollutants, interconnections, and interdependences between human and environment. The proposed activities are in line with the "Plan d’Etudes Romand" and with the Global Education 2030 strategy of UNESCO aiming to empower learners with novel skills, values and attitudes leading towards more sustainable society. Educational impact, both for learning and attitudes, as well as implementation of the proposed workshop in the regular scholar and extra-scholar activities and professional development courses for teachers will be measures of success of the project.
The project duration is 2 years.
Funding: Swiss national Science Foundation – AGORA programme
UniGe responsible: Prof. Vera Slaveykova
Participants: Prof. Andreas Mueller, Dr. Rémy Kopp, Mr. Philippe Jenni, Dr Giulia Cheloni, Mrs. Elodie Moulin and Mrs. Sarah Fragnière
Contacts: Prof. Vera Slaveykova - courriel
